Better Breathing Blog by PowerLung

Swimming is an undeniably valuable type of aerobic exercise, but it can be intimidating to start. Many adults took standard swim lessons offered at the local pool as children, and some children may even excel at the sport, while others just “get by.” A few may even join a swim team; however, most adults give up on swimming and water activities in general. But water exercise comes in different forms and has a variety of benefits which should be considered when looking for an enjoyable fitness activity, and something one can share with other adults and children alike.

It has long been touted that exercise improves brain function, and this concept has been used widely to support a recent drive to increase physical activity and save recess in schools. However, the benefits go well beyond school age years, and evidence supports the importance of regular physical exercise throughout life. It is a universally accepted understanding that regular exercise is good for the body. However, more and more research is being released showing the benefits to the brain as well. If you are considering starting an exercise regimen, training for a sporting event, or simply want to improve your health, here is some interesting science behind the connection, and a few of the useful facts about regular physical exercise and mental improvement:

It is commonly understood that using Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT), a series of exercises and breathing techniques to increase strength and endurance of respiratory muscles, will improve breathing (and subsequently, respiration) during periods of exercise. However, understanding the science behind RMT is important to better utilize the techniques to benefit respiration and endurance.

You are working hard, maintaining a tough training schedule and feeling good about it, but the soreness is starting to affect you. Your first thought may be to simply back off what you are doing, or quit altogether, but that’s not the answer. There are ways to minimize soreness and improve recovery so you can maintain your training regimen.

Free diving is one of the most intense and dangerous sports. Not knowing what you are doing can be fatal. Even trained competitors get hurt in controlled situations. The danger that inherently comes with diving to great depths without an oxygen supply only highlights the need for proper training.

Athletes spend countless hours training for their individual spot, focusing on the dynamics, specific muscle groups, and the science behind the movement involved. However, do they consider training their lungs?

The need for every living thing to breathe well cannot be denied. However, the need for strong breathing is evident to athletes. Since both respiratory and activity-based muscles compete for oxygen, athletes must become more efficient in their breathing ability to maximize performance. Although this relationship is understandable in all athletic events, none is more obvious to understand as in the sport of swimming.

Athletes, professional and amateur alike, think about training their heart, legs, back, and anything else related to their sport. However, rarely do people ponder training their lungs. There is a direct link between fatigued breathing and reduced performance (weakness) in your legs or other muscles needed to compete in any given sport. The bottom line is that when you breathe better, you provide more oxygen to your muscles, thereby improving your athletic performance.

Swimming requires a high level of endurance. It has become common to say the way to raise endurance levels is by increasing lung capacity. We’ll go into why this is confusing. But, the general idea behind this advice is true; to increase endurance you need in increase the efficiency of your breathing. This means using less energy to breathe and breathing in and out more air when you do.

If you are looking to improve the strength and ability of your respiratory system, be it for general health, professional sport, public speaking or musical performance you will likely need targeted respiratory training to allow yourself to get to the next level. PowerLung offers an incredibly effective device to assist you with this training.